Review | Golf Club: Wasteland - Under Par, Post-Apocalypse

In the not so distant future, we may all face challenges surrounding the viability of this earth as a habitable planet for our species. Its natural resources are being pushed to the limits trying to accommodate over seven billion of us, pandemics and failing healthcare systems shorten our lives and those with the power to change things are all subscribed to the modern values of capitalism, likely dooming us all. While this is arguably the most humane form of modern civilization, the monetary policies that dictate decisions have far-reaching problems that affect the less well off, whether that be marginalised humans, defenceless animals or the overrun planet. If you haven’t left yet, first of all, thank you for listening to my TED Talk, but more importantly, you might be interested in a game called Golf Club: Wasteland which allows players to witness the endgame of our modern apocalypse with a 9-iron in hand.

This has been a busy year for digital golf; Claphanz, formerly associated with Sony’s coveted Japan Studios label with its Everybody’s Golf series, has released its first game on IOS, Mario has been working up a sweat by refusing to use golf carts in his latest sports game, and, of course, there’s a 2K golf game slated for release at the end of the year. Despite releasing in a surprisingly busy year for country club fans, Golf Club: Wasteland manages to stand out from the crowd with its visually dense yet calming atmosphere that goes well beyond a bit of stylistic distraction (though Golf Club is certainly a treat for the eyes as well). 

Remember concerts?

The premise is simple: a lone human is stranded on the decaying remains of Earth, spending his time playing golf among the collateral damage left by his species. Each man-made course carries a sense of weight due to the varied regional settings which demonstrates how a worldwide evacuation to Mars affected different cultural and physical landscapes. Adding to this sensation is a physical weight that is often omitted from 2D golf games, which compliments the shattered urban environments to no end. .  Feeling the slippery properties of wet metal or plush sensations from naturally woven shrubbery underneath the ball underpins a beautiful depiction of end times. 

While each course has its own distinct feel, the cynicism portrayed in this depiction of the apocalypse also manages to affect the scale of the journey. Limited colour palettes and weather effects are used to show that humans have the same negative impact on their environment regardless of our differences, which is an admirable storytelling device, but the understated visual style paired with a focus on distinguishability throughout different urban landmarks makes the Earth feel like one large town or city rather than an entire global habitat. But this repetition didn’t hinder my enjoyment too much as each level provided a new challenge that kept me invested during multiple playthroughs, and besides, the auditory experience more than made up for it. 

Crazy golf got ethereal.

Golf Club: Wasteland is equal parts golf and science fiction, commenting on the state of the world through multiple mediums, there are visual representations of modern cultural cornerstones. But these issues are often approached in a brash nature with little subtext; one level is set in a literal Bitcoin mine and another is littered with bright pink neon ‘Covfefe’ signs. Luckily there’s only a handful of these moments, as most of the desolate concrete jungle of Earth is home to a slew of interesting trinkets to interact with including smashable windows, escalators, balconies, and sculptures. The mundanity of these items play into the setting well through imaginative recycling, for example, drainpipes elevators turn buildings into multi-choice courses with shortcuts for talented golfers.

But if you are looking for story content and sci-fi world-building, the in-game radio has you more than covered. A continuous stream of content plays throughout the duration of the game featuring music from different genres and interviews with the residents of Mars reminiscing about their time on Earth. While many games have used radio broadcasts as a distraction or accompaniment to exploration, in Golf Club it feels like an integral part of the experience as it is the main form of communication to both the protagonist and player, presenting modern issues in an incredibly compelling manner. Conversations use multiple respectable perspectives from different backgrounds to make intelligent arguments, which remedies the lack of environmental culture, and songs are requested through call-ins which adds an extra level of personality to each new voice. While the songs themselves, and the sound design for that matter, are all top-notch; I can’t think of another golf game that has a KGB love song in its soundtrack.

Oh, erm, hi there Mr Cow… Do you mind if I just putt past you?

Golf Club: Wasteland might appear to just be an arcade-y golf game with a clever setting at first, but there is a focused story that revolves around the stranded spaceman protagonist, however in comparison to the surprisingly deep radio broadcasts, this main narrative feels more like flavour text. There are diary excerpts that can be unlocked by achieving a set number of strokes and a short visual novel that explicitly details the protagonist's journey once all 32 holes have been cleared. I think these rewards work well enough as unlockables, but I found the methodology a lot more interesting as it utilises some interesting accessibility options when it comes to difficulty. Golf Club presents its difficulty options after completing the first course allowing the player to choose whether they want to play with a stroke limit that hinders progression, if, at any point, players want to turn off the stroke limit, they can, but it cannot be re-enabled until the end of the entire game. This may sound arbitrary, but casual players can aim for par at any time they wish, which reveals the aforementioned diary entries, the only difference between the modes is the ability to unlock a third difficulty option.

Initially, I found the ‘challenge mode’ a little too difficult as I was unprepared for the game’s real-time aiming system which requires precise accuracy while holding the left control stick in specific positions for extended amounts of time. Normally 2D golf games allow players to carefully aim their shots by nudging directional inputs, showing a well-defined arc that represents the calculated trajectory (like the Worms games), but Golf Club is a lot less forgiving. I can’t say I hated this less traditional control scheme as it felt accurate to the sport, but it may be aggravating for some as the UI, despite looking smart, doesn’t give much information to players, requiring a level of trial and error to get a feel for each course, and, unlike other golf games, it is impossible to play this game properly if your Switch struggles with any joy-con drift. That being said, Golf Club forced me to rely on my mini-golf instincts rather than my video game skills as the emphasis on manually judging distances felt satisfying to pull off. Even if it did involve a rather lengthy adjustment period, I took great joy in starting to golf with my gut and better judgement and not by doing calculations in my head.

Every video game that I know that uses subtext is a coward!

One thing I personally couldn’t forgive Golf Club for is the amount of time-wasting involved during course transitions. Now I understand that golf is a game best played at a slow pace, which is probably even more important when you are trying to evoke a chill yet desolate vibe, but unskippable mid-level cutscenes and unnecessary panning shots quickly became aggravating in a game where repetition is rampant and trial and error are required. The scripted end-of-level cutscenes do a great job of sprinkling surprise moments into the story, but every protracted shot is only added to by forcing the player to endure a lengthy animation of the protagonist walking slowly to the ball. This comes to a head during the penultimate hole, where there is an elevator ride that takes around a minute to play out In the story mode, with no par limit, this provided me with a relaxing tour of the decrepit countryside, but in challenge mode, I had to witness this same scene every time I failed the course, which was many more times than I would like to admit and quickly took away all of the charm of the moment. Luckily these issues are minor from a technical standpoint, as they could easily be remedied in updates that might allow players to skip these cutscenes.

LIFTOFF CANCELLED
LAUNCH ABORTED
EARTH DOOMED

(on the bright side you were 3 under par)

Bar some small design issues, Golf Club: Wasteland is an enjoyable swing into the genre that questions the very foundations of the land it relies on. There’s honestly enough lore here to start a series of epic proportions, and I can’t wait to see where Demagog Studio goes from here. Even if golf isn’t your thing, and a good modern sci-fi podcast sounds more interesting to you, giving this game a look… Or at worst, I’d really recommend giving the soundtrack a listen instead, it’s honestly my favourite part of the game.